Rail-chair.



WILLIAM G. COUGI'ILIN, OF PHILADELFI-IIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application ledseptember 23, 1916. Serial No. 121,823.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WnimAM Gr. Concu- LIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulY Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail chairs and more particularly to chairs adapted for sustaining double headed rails or rails which have twowearing surfaces and are capable of being reversed. One object of the invention is to provide a rail chair which will permit of an adjustment of the rail toward the center of the track to compensate for the wearing of the inner face of the head of the rail by the flanges of the car wheels.

Another obj ect is to provide a chair which will protect the tie and alord maximum security in supporting the rail with a minimum of metal.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a double headed rail with one form of the improved rail chair;

Figs. 2 and 3 are like views of different foims of chairs embodying the invention; an

Fig. 4 is a side view of a rail showing one of the chairs as applied to a single tie and another chair spanning two ties and supporting a rail joint.

Rail chairs embodying the present invention may be used on single ties or in more elongated form they may serve as splice bars to connect the abutting ends of the rails and to support the rails. In each of the figures of the drawing R indicates the rail which is preferably formed with two heads 10 and a connecting web 11. rhe heads of the rail are of the usual form having the inclined under surfaces 12. The web of the rail is formed with diverging inclines 13 adjacent each head and an intervening web which is perforated to receive the bolts 14. As shown in the drawing the perforations for the bolts are centrally arranged between the heads of the rail so that the same bolt holes will answer with either head of the rail uppermost.

Referring to Fig. 1, the chair C comprlses a base 15 and two upwardly and inwardly inclined web members 16, 161. The web members have angular feet 17 having horizontal portions 18 which rest on the flat central part of the base and outwardly directed upwardly inclined portions 19 which rest on the corresponding inclines of the base. These feet are thus seated securely in the angles of the base but to prevent possibility of spreading the base is provided with toes 2O against which the feet of the chair members abut and bolts 21 are also preferably provided to securely connect the chair members to the base. The upper part o1' each web 16 is provided with a vertical surface 22 to form an abutment for the bolt and nut and with inclines 23, 211, to abut against the inclines 12 and 13 of the rail respectively. ln order that these pairs of inclines may be securely seated against each other a recess 25 is formed in each chair member between the inclines 23, 2li. It will be evident that when the bolts 1/1 are tightened the inclines 28, 24 fit the inclines 12, 13 with a wedging action which will hold the rail very securely in the chairs.

The web member 16a is slightly higher than the web member 16, which tends to throw the head of the rail slightly to the left of the center line of the chair. In installing a new rail the higher web member 16a is placed at the inner side of the rail or toward the middle of the track. When the corresponding side of the rail head becomes worn the rail may be reversed, end for end, thus permitting the other side of the rail head to take the wear of the wheel flanges. When both sides of the rail are worn the lchair members may be reversed, placing the higher member 16a on the outside of the rail and the lower member 16 on the inside. This will throw the head of the rail toward the inside of the track slightly to compensate for wear and after the inner side of the head of the rail becomes again worn sufficiently to require change the rail may be again reversed end for end and the other side of the head subjected to the wear of the wheel flanges. When one head of the rail becomes suiiieiently worn to be useless the rail Ais reversed to bring the other head into operative position. It will thus appear with my improved rail chair the rail may be not vonly reversed to place either head uppermost but it may be reversed end for end and adjusted laterally to compensate for wear, by reason of which adgnstments a double headed rail will last longer than two single headed T-rails,\vl1ile the additional strength of the double head rail is in itself a great advantage over the T-rail.

In the forms illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the sideor web members of the chair C 4are adjustable on the base to Dermit of adjusting the rail toward the center of the track to take up wear upon the rail head without disturbing the base on the tie.' lIt will be understood that in all the forms, notches or holes are provided in the edges of the chair bases to receive spikes 26 and that it is desirable to have the bases permanently located on the ties. Referring to Fig. 2, the base 30 is substantially fiat-,and provided with serrations or notches 81 on its upper side. The two side members of the chair 32, 32a have feet 33 provided with teeth which are complemental to the notches in the base. These feet 38am secured to the base by means of bolts 34, the bolts passing through slots or notches in the feet which permit of adjustment of the feet Arelatively to the base. The inner walls of the slots are indicated by the dotted lines 35.

-At the outer side of the rail, that is, the side away from the center of the track, the side member 32aL is provided with a shoulder 36v which fits the under side of the rail head and supports the rail fand with a stout flange 37 which fits against the outside of the rail head and K4supports it against the llateral thrust of the Wheel ange. vThe upper portion lof the inner side member 32 is preferably constructed in the same form as the correspond'mg portion of the side member 16 Vin Fig. l and AIV have applied the same vreference characters thereto.

gether and to the rail by bol-ts lllwhich' preferably pass centrally through the rail so that the same holes in the rail will suffice with either head of the rail uppermost. In the for-m shown in Figs.f2 and 3 the rail may be reversed to bringeither head into the upper operative position and it may be turned rend lfor end to bri-ng either side vof the rail toward the inside of the track to vtake the wear of the wheel flanges. Furthermore, each side of each head may be adjusted toward the center of the track to take up Vwear by loosening thefbolts 34 and adjusting the side members of the chair into new notches in the base after which .adjustment the bolts 34 are again screwed up tight.' Y i It will be understood that the construc- V,to support the rail joints, as shown at the left in Fig. 4C. In other words, these constructions are equally suitable for rail splices and rail chairs and it will be understood that the term chair as used herein is intended to include rail supports used either as ordinary 'chairs or as splice bars.

It will also be understood that the rail chairs above described may vbe used with rails having a single head and a depending web, although double head rails are preferable. f Y 1 Having described the invention what is lclaimed is Y l. The combination with a rail comprising a head having bearing surfaces underneath its opposite sides terminating in a downwardly projecting central web, of a rail :support comprising a horizontal base and two upwardly converging web members, the web members having supporting i surfaces to coopera-te with the rail bearing surfaces Vand said supporting surfaces Abeing at diderent elevations whereby the'head of the railA may be adjusted. laterallyvvith respect to thebase to take up lwear'by reversing the supports. Y Y

2. The combination with a rail comprising a head having bearing surfaces underneath its opposite sides terminating in `a downwardly projecting central web, .of a rail support comprising :a horizontal base and two upwardly convergingfweb members, means for clamping the web members to the rail, and means for removably securing the web members tothe base, one -of the web kmembers having a rail supporting :surface higher than the rail supporting surface of the other member, and said web `members bei-ng interchangeable, for the purpose .set forth. j

3. The combination with a rail compris- 'ing a head having .downwardly yconverging bearing surfaces vunderneath and a web 'having upwardly converging .bearing surfaces,

of a .chair comprising a base and upwardly converging' web members, said web members having inc-lined surfaces conforming ltothe inclines of the head .and web of the rail, and .having 4feet adjustably secured to the base member. 'i i f ,4. vThe combination `with aV rail comprising .a head having downwardly converging bearing .surfaces underneathand a web having :upwardly converging `bearing surfaces, of a chair comprising a base and upwardly converging web members, .said web `meinbers having inclined .surfaces conforming to the inclines of the headY and web of the raii, said web memberssupportifng the rail and one lof said web members having in- @lines conforming to the inclines of the rail, and a recess between said inclines7 and means for securing said web members to the rail and for adjustably securing said web members to the base.

5. The combination with a rail having two heads and an intervening web, the inner surfaces of the heads and the adjacent surfacesof the web converging toward each other, of a chair comprising a base and two upwardly and inwardly converging web members7 the upper parts of said web members being constructed to conform to the ini clines of the rail and the lower parts of said web members being adjustably seated on the base and provided with means for securing them on the base, whereby the rail may be used with either head uppermost and whereby its operative head may be adjusted bodily laterally with respect to the base, for

the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

WILLIAM G. COUGI-ILIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Estense,

Washington, D. C. 

